Wednesday's patch brought about the end of an era. More resounding than the Age of the Elves, more moving than the Age of Men, the Age of the Farmer has left its mark on every LOTRO server.

No more will your framerate screech to a halt as you pass the workbench on the farm outside of Staddle. No more will you hear the grind-grind-grind of pipeweed seed being processed in Michel Delving at 4:00am.

Here we see busy little people on the night before the big pipeweed nerf. Look at them grind!


The great powers hath wrought such that pipeweed is no longer making 100 silver an hour for its enterprising tenders. To hear the anguished wailing from some people, you'd think that they'd just had their human rights violated. Get a life, people. Or get a fellowship going and see the sights!

About time, really… 100s is not any more than I can make in adventuring if I put my mind to it, but on safe little farms, it can be done as you absently watch TV, read a book or stare at the screen and indulge in /ooc bashing of everyone around you who is also farming and obviously a bot. I certainly tried it, as farming is one of the professions associated with my chosen Vocation of Scholar… but it was mind-numbingly boring, so I called it a day as soon as I'd made enough (I hope) to fund the rest of my farming profession progress. I figured that was fair, hehe.

If any more proof was needed that farming pipeweed was bringing in too much cash for too little effort… guess what all the gold farmers were doing? Yep. Farming.

Some people in my kinship said they made 3 or 4 gold in this manner. Now, to the uninitiated, keep in mind that in Lord of the Rings Online, 1 gold = 1,000 silver, and is a substantial sum. I am sure some made more, but aren't saying, lest unknown relatives suddenly pop up looking for handouts. A few loudmouths in /ooc claimed to have made 10 or 12 gold, but I think one of them also soloed a Balrog or something as well.

It is time to spread our wings and leave the farm. Launch is only a few days off!